Thursday, April 30, 2009

Marking off Projects! And Adding New Ones!

Here's my original list that I made right after Easter. After marking off some projects and adding others, I couldn't read it anymore. I rewrote it and tried to put everything in the order that I needed to do them. I've marked off 3 of the projects on my new list.I made this sundress for Emory, the 20 month old who lives out West. Since she's a "desert baby" she needs a sun bonnet. I made these completely from fabrics, mostly leftovers from other projects, that were in my fabric closet. These are the patterns I used. The bonnet is Simplicity 2908 and the dress is a McCall's Easy stitch 'n save 5369. I made the dress almost exactly to the directions. I added a lining to the bonnet. I like things to be finished on the inside and out. My Univ. of TN Smokey is coming in handy for displaying some of my creations!!!

I took the dress to show my mom at the nursing home last night and took orders for 4 of these in just a couple of minutes.

Two of the employees want them for their grand daughters (2 each). They also want the sunbonnets, even though they haven't seen one. I'll take this one today to make sure they do want one for each dress. They both want me to just pick whatever fabrics I want.

I probably have enough fabrics in my stash to make these, but I think I'm going to go purchase fabrics expressly for these dresses so I can keep up with exactly how much $$ I have in them.

In the past I have just come up with a price that was based on very little reasoning. If I intend to get into the business of sewing for $$$ I've got to actually make some profit, right?

How do I know how much to charge for my time???

I got my labels made, too. These aren't what I plan to ultimately use. I need to purchase some professionally made ones, but I made these on my computer and printed them out on iron-on fabric sheets that are designed for going through the printer. They are supposed to be washable, etc... So, they will do for now. Notice I made different ones for my grands and for other folks. he one for my grands says, "Made by Granmomma with love in every stitch!" The other says, "Julia's Sew Sweet and Special Occasion Clothing for Children."

I am showing the inside of the hat with the label ironed in it.

The other project I have completed is the towel head wrap for my little Emory. I posted once about how I made these as Christmas gifts for my DDs and SILs. Emory wants to use her mom's so I made her one of her own. I'll need to make them for the other DGDs too.

I thought I could get at least two from this towel and I probably could have if I had been smart about how I cut it out. The ones I made as gifts before were made from regular thin towels (you don't want a bulky towel for this), but I saw this when walking through Walmart one day and thought I'd try it. What a mess it made when I cut it!!! Blue fuzz all over my sewing room! You can see it on my ironing board. It'll vacuum up, though.

I, of course made Emory's much smaller than the adult size which is pictured here. Emory's is the blue one with the binding.

This is the easiest thing I've ever made. There is a button on the part that fits over the forehead and a loop of elastic on the other end. There is a loop of ribbon on the crown of the head part to hang it up by when you aren't using it. You simply fit it over your head and twist it turban style and loop the elastic over the button. Voila! It isn't bulky like a regular towel and stays in place. I actually purchased mine years ago. I bought two sets of two and split them for my 3 DDs and one for me. Mine is so stained and old that I decided the girls needed new ones. I haven't made nyself a new one, yet, but I will, maybe, sometime, when I get all these other projects done.

Now, I've got 4 more little dresses and bonnets to add to my list. This is what I said I wanted to do, didn't I?? I really am excited; I'm just nervous about the time involved.

It's on to the cutting table to work on Kellen's and Little Man's outfits for their birthdays that

54 comments:

I love the children's outfits and that bonnet is TO DIE FOR!!! I definitely would not sell my self short when it comes to charging for clothing. You want it to be worth your while. I used to smock for children and I found that people who wanted it would pay the prices. I wasn't outrageous in my prices, but I made it worth my time.

I don't know how you find the time to do all the sewing you produce. You make some really cute kids clothing. People always spend money for kids more then they will themselves. As far as what to charge I think depends on what fabric you use and how much time it takes to finish the project. You do a lot of detail work which you should get paid for. I think you could get $40-50 for the whole outfit. You cold always ask a higher price and if they gawk at it you can tell them you're going to give them a deal this time but just so they know they are getting a one of a kind. My pet peeve - I like making my projects clean on the inside too.

I recommend labels from world wide label. They are quality labels. They take a bit to come in from China, but they are superb- you can find them on Etsy.

Pricing is the most difficult part of selling. Its a see saw- go too high and you can't sell it. Too low, you are selling yourself short. I read an article once on the best way to price your items- I will have to find it and fwd it to you.

I'm so excited for you! Pricing is difficult. Location is everything, as they say. Grandmothers are a good clientele. You know--we are suckers for our grandchildren! Enjoy what you're doing, test the market, and I wish you teh very best of luck!

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About Me

I am a grandmommma who loves to sew. I also love any creative outlet that I can express myself in, such as painting, drawing, sherenshnitte, and writing. I am the "baby girl" of my mother who is in a nursing home. I wish I could get into her head to understand what is going on in there sometimes. I will reflect upon my observations, therefore, using this as a therapy of sorts for myself.